I finally got to meet Stefanie Millinger, holder of 10 Guinness World Records, extreme athlete, thrill seaker and Austrian heroine. She is known for her impressive Free Solo stunts in extreme heights and her fun and creative content on Instagram.

In this exclusive interview she tells us about what it’s like to be her, including the good aspects and the challenging ones. She walks us through a typical day with all her routines and the crazy amount of training she acomplishes on a daily basis. She also tells us about her preparation for extreme free solo stunts. One of Stefanie’s goals is to climb free solo on top of the highest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

To me, Stefanie Millinger, aka Milli, could be put on the same pedestal as Austrian hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was an exceptional honor to get to know her in this very personal conversation. The more I learned about her, the more I admired her raw commitment to being herself. Austria may be a small country, but people like Milli make me feel proud to be Austrian myself.

I hope you enjoy this interview just as much as I did! Don’t hesitate to comment down below and support Milli!

Follow Stefanie Millinger on Instagram and Youtube!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

–Sonji

The post Stefanie Millinger | The Thrill of a Lifetime appeared first on .

Today’s episode is an interview with the amazing Elaine Briant – handbalancer, artist, performer, prop designer and graduate from the Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH, formerly known as DOCH) in Sweden.

I think, so far, she is the most versatile handbalancer I know. Not only is her handbalancing infused by other disciplines, like dance, acro and juggling. But her free and curious spirit has led her creations to go beyond just physical movement. Elaine has also been designing props, she plays music, knits, and it seems like there is nothing she wouldn’t explore. Our conversation exposed her as a multipassionate creative who is always on the search for novelty. She brings a refreshing angle to the obsessive hustle culture that can sometimes be associated with training handbalance. Elaine is one of the few handbalancers I’ve talked to, who is ok with taking rest days.

Watch our interview and find out about Elaine’s views on training, performing and living the life of an artist. She is currently performing in Sweden with Kompani Giraff, and she has formed two duos with other handbalancers: Duo Bulldogs with Antonio Tony Panaro, and a duo that is still in the works with Joe Martinho, who you might know from my previous interview.

I really enjoyed meeting Elaine and I hope you love this conversation as much as I did!

Be sure to check out Elaine on Instagram:

@elainebriant

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

-Sonji

The post Elaine Briant | Creative Infusion in Handbalance appeared first on .

She’s known for her round blocks and for including playful elements of juggling into her handbalancing. My guest today is Joana aka Joe Martinho who graduated from Codarts and is now performing with Circus Cirkör in Knitting Peace alongside Mikael Kristiansen who you might know from one of my previous interviews.

In this conversation she tells us about how she went from contortion to handbalance after being injured, and how she moved on to perform in Knitting Peace and all the things it entailed. Through the course of our conversation I got super impressed by Joe’s strong mentality. Her story revealed her resilient attitude and how obstacles haven’t stopped her from persuing what she loves. Despite being afraid of heights she is performing an act on a platform 4 meters above the ground and she tells us about how she overcame her fear. She’s not in it for the easy way, she says in her interview. But it’s not just her strong, focused mind that impressed me. At the same time she displayed such a warm and welcoming personality and showed consideration for the people that have supported her throughout her journey.

We recorded this interview before her first show with Knitting Peace. As of now she’s done several successful shows and is continuing to perform in the piece.

If you want to keep up to date with Joe and learn more about her, go ahead and follow her on Instagram:

@joesousmartinho

I hope y’all enjoy this conversation and Joe’s inspiring story! Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments down below.

It’s never too late to do what you love!

-Sonji

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Today’s episode is a conversation with a guy I’ve known through Instagram and I’ve always found super relatable. My guest today is Andrés Cerdeira, a Fitenss & Health Coach who transitioned to Marketing to ditch it and join the circus.

He graduated from the circus school AFUK in Copenhagen in the midst of the pandemic and is now finding his way in the intersection between movement & health, circus and marketing.

Andrés and I have a lot in common. Both of us finished University with a degree in Sports and Nutrition. Both of us originally came from a different discipline (Andrés did Taekwon Do, I did figure skating). And both of us had a very brief encounter with Marketing, which we both decided wasn’t what we wanted to devote our lives to. It became Handbalance and Flexibility instead.

In this interview Andrés tells us about his journey and how he made his way to AFUK. He tells us about the physical lessons he learned along the way, getting flexible as a grown-up, and we share our thoughts on how it is to teach, without being at a super high level ourselves, compared to other handbalancers.

Check out Andrés’ website and Instagram:

Website: https://www.ahandstand.org/

IG: @a.handstand

I hope this interview encourages those of you who are longing to make handbalance a bigger part of your life. And I hope that the main message we intended for the video, comes across!

Enjoy and let us know your personal main takeaway from this episode in the comments below!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

–Sonji

The post Finding a Way in the Circus Industry | Interview with Andrés Cerdeira appeared first on .

Meet David Haws! The first time I discovered him on Instagram I got the impression of a professional acrobat, or a full-time performer. Fast forward a few years later I get the chance to meet him at a jam at Madison Square Park, NYC, and I learn that he has a sedentary nine-to-five job and a PhD in Mathematics.

I managed to get him in front of the camera just before he left for Hawaii and our conversation turned out to be incredibly insightful. In this interview David tells us about how he’s progressed in his training while working in a sedentary full-time job. One of the key-messages for me in this conversation was that what has allowed him to stay consistent and show results in his handbalancing has been a focus on keeping his practice sustainable. In contrast to most other people I’ve met, David sticks to “only” three days of handbalance specific training a week. He also talked about the importance of play and how burnout in training can be real.
Aside from the interesting insights David is just the most humble guy ever. It was such a pleasure to talk to him and I hope you enjoy this conversation just as much as I did.

Follow David on Instagram!

@dchaws

Let me know what you resonated with the most in the comments below!

It’s never too late to do what you love,
Sonja

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If you’ve watched my interviews with Sam Star or Sean Langhaus, you’ve heard of Dora Skelton. A young handbalancer who is wise beyond her years and shows how dedication can lead to results in handbalance. I had been following her training and progress via Instagram before I met her and was impressed by how fast she’s moving forward. During the days I got to spend in NYC it clearly came out that what makes her special is her willingness to consistently put in the work and her dedication to her training.

In this interview we talk about her journey and her training, the big things she’s learned in her personal practice and how she has transitioned to coaching handbalance and contortion. The big takeaway I personally got from training with Dora is how much I can benefit from training on blocks. I used to hate blocks and would only ever balance on the floor. But when Dora explained to me that one-arm handstands for her came down to learning lateral block walks and sidebends, she got me on the block train. While I still prefer the floor over blocks, I have very quickly noticed gains in my push when I practice my one-arm drills.

Dora’s passion and commitment is contageous. So much so that I’ve decided to work with her as a coach. I’ll keep you all posted on the progress, but in the meantime, definitely check out this amazing badass!

IG: @doraskelton

I hope you enjoy this casual conversation and it motivates you to put in the work for yourself!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

-Sonji

The post Dedication over Time | Interview with Dora Skelton appeared first on .

Meet the founder of Warrior Bridge NYC, Sean Langhaus! I had the pleasure and honor to spend three weeks in the city and train with the awesome people that come together in his gym for movement, acro and handstands.

Warrior Bridge is one of those places that will instantly feel like family if you’re a movement person. In this interview Sean shares insights with us about his own journey. There’s lots of one-arm handstand talk, but then we also get into how he managed to open a gym and form a community. And he tells us about the new space Cirque Haus, which he’ll be opening up soon in the center of Manhattan.

Sean has a long history of movement. It seems like it has been at the forefront of his life ever since he was a kid. He was first exposed to handstands when he was twelve years old, then got into skateboarding and finally moved through a yoga journey that led him to the acro community. Handstands are a huge part of his life and I resonate a lot with his views on technique and teaching. It only took a few sessions training together with Dora Skelton (who’s interview will be coming up soon) and Sean for me to have some aha-moments around my shoulder position in one-arms.

If you’re ever in the NYC area, definitely go check out Warrior Bridge and Cirque Haus!

Website: https://www.warriorbridge.com/

IG: @warriorbridgenyc , @cirquehaus

Follow Sean on Instagram!

IG: @skatejitsu

I hope you find this interview insightful, especially if you’re working on one-arm handstands, or are thinking of opening your own training space! Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

-Sonji

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The first time I saw Samantha Star on Instagram I immediately fell in love with her persona. I’m a cat lover and her Instagram name is @lithiumkitten. Her handstands are beautiful and it seems like there’s nothing she can’t do with her body.

Her main thing is pole dance, but her practice involves handstands, yoga, aerial straps and it’s not uncommon to see her do new unexpected things. Talking to her I could see she’s a wild child.

In this interview she tells us about her journey and her training. She talks about how she keeps herself in shape and which things she prioritizes to keep her practice sustainable. Samantha Star has a super interesting story. She completely turned her life around when she transitioned from a night life, working at a strip club and drinking, to teaching pole, yoga, handstands and flexibility and performing around the world.

Wild Cat Energy

Sam’s energy is so uplifting. I took one of her flexibility classes and it felt like a comedy show. It was great! She also introduced me to an awareness exercise called “eye gazing”. You basically sit across from your partner and gaze into each other’s eyes for a set amount of time. The feelings and sensations that come up during that meditation are super interesting to explore and they change depending on who you are doing the exercise with.

So if you ever find yourself in the NYC area, definitely check out her classes and hit her up for a handstand jam!

Check out the website below to see Sam’s class schedule and follow her on Instagram!

website: samanthastar.com

Instagram: @lithiumkitten

I hope you find Sam’s story just as inspiring as I did. Enjoy watching our conversation and let us know what you think in the comments below!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

–Sonji

The post Interview with Samantha Star | Lithiumkitten appeared first on .

Today I have the honor to share my conversation with Seve Feathers who has been working on an artistic project called “Fleeting” for the last four years. She’s ready to premier it in Ireland in the first week of August 2021!

If you are someone who has been wondering how you can make it as an artist, this episode is for you! Seve Feathers made it from being a full-time french teacher at school to securing grants and funding from institutions in Ireland that support the arts. In this way she managed to make her art her job. In this conversation we not only talk about how “Fleeting” emerged and evolved, but she also tells us about the many things she has learned in the process.

Seve Feathers has been one of my biggest inspirations. She makes art relatable and rather than constructing something, her process is about uncovering what’s already there. I find it fascinating and so brave. I remember a quote from our interview we did for The Handstand Press magazine: “What do I care about skills? I’m an artist.” That quote stuck with me ever since. It shows how art has become a commodity. But Seve brought back a very refreshing view of what art is and what it’s for. She emobdies it, and it’s contageous.

I hope this conversation inspires you to look for resources for artists in your area!

Learn more about Seve:

website: www.sevefeathers.com

Instagram: @sevefeathers

Read more about her journey of how she made the transition from teacher to artist in issue 02 of the Handstand Press magazine:

https://thehandstandpress.com/

References:

https://isacs.ie/

https://junkensemble.com/

https://spraoi.com/

It’s never too late to do what you love!

-Sonji

The post Seve Feathers on “Fleeting” appeared first on .

If you’ve ever felt the itch to leave everything behind and travel the world, here’s a big inspiration for you: Hiroshi aka Herosan has made himself a successful street performer with his Herosan Show! Pre-Covid he toured over 85 countries around the globe and made his way to performing at big circus festivals as well.

Not only is he freakishly strong, but he’s incredibly versatile in his skills and has an amazing sense of humor. In his show he juggles dumplings with chopsticks, shows off his acrobatic tricks and incorporates elements from Kung Fu and Breakdance. I got the chance to meet with him on Zoom to get to know him!

In our conversation he tells us about his training and what he’s learned ever since he started training with a handbalance coach. He also goes into detail about his life as a street performer. He talks about how he got started, how he is able to make a living off of it and how the pandemic has shown him potential for growth.

Hiroshi is super kind and you can tell he has a big heart. I love reading his captions on Instagram. You can tell that he’s unapologetically himself! Even though I’m grateful that I got to talk to him over the internet, I do hope that I’ll get the chance to visit him in person one day.

Go and check out Hiroshi’s website and social media to learn more about him!

website: http://www.hero-san.com/

IG: @herosanshow

I hope this conversation inspires you to take action towards your own dreams! Let me know which part of the interview you resonate with the most in the comments below!

It’s never too late to do what you love!

Soundschi

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